Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon and I never will.
It's been three years since the digimon departed from the tamers. All
had been going well, or so they thought. The tamers were in high school
now and had grown quite a lot. Rika had been transferred to the same school
as the other tamers, but still remained rather isolated, despite the others
efforts to get to know her better.
It was first period. Rika, Henry, Jeri and Takato all shared the same class first period. Math. As the teacher rambled on about fractions and integers and such, Henry found himself staring at Rika, filled with ambivalent feelings towards the girl. Though Rika had become much friendlier than she used to be, she still kept her distance, particularly towards the opposite sex. If he or any other member of his sex did so much as touch her on the shoulder, her entire body would tense up and you could easily sense the anxiety within her. He didn't know why she behaved like this, but he had a hunch... normal girls didn't act like that unless something was troubling them... Henry had seen girls who had acted like that, but these were abused girls... girls who had been hurt badly by men. He silently prayed that this was not the case with Rika. Rika never talked about her past with anyone. If someone ever asked her about her past or why she acted the way she did, Rika would find some way to avoid answering. A couple of times, Henry tried to corner her into telling him what happened, but Rika took offence and angrily told him to back off. Others, such as Takato and Ryo tried the same thing, but only ended up with the same result. Rika was as stubborn as they came and not even the firmest demands could get her to spill.
Soon enough, first period had ended and the bell rang to indicate that. All the students got up, gathered their belongings and headed off to their next class, wherever that may be. Henry and Rika both had the same class second period. English. They went to their class and took their normal seats. When the class started, the teacher began to lecture them on a certain topic... incest. This made Rika very uncomfortable. Henry noticed this. Through the entire class, unbeknownst to Rika, Henry kept his eye on her. For the whole time, Rika had been squriming in her chair, looking very pale and squeamish. She was breathing very heavily, obviously trying to control the urge to vomit.
'What is wrong with her?' Henry thought. 'She seemed fine earlier.' Sure the topic wasn't exactly a pleasant one, but it shouldn't have made anyone feel THAT sick.
Eventually, when Rika felt she could handle no more, the bell rang to indicate that second period was now over and that third period would be starting shortly. Rika quickly gathered her belongings and left in a hurry. Henry quickly followed suit and ran out after her.
"Rika! Wait up!" Henry called.
Due to the constant uproar in the hallway, Rika did not hear Henry call out to her. Henry sighed. This is what he hated about high schools. They were so noisy and crowded that you could scream to the top of your lungs and no one would hear you. Henry shoved his way through the crowd and eventually made his way to Rika.
"Rika!" Henry called as he placed his hand on her shoulder, momentarily forgetting the reaction Rika had when touched by the opposite sex.
As if on cue, Rika whirled around quickly and defensively, filled with uneasiness. Henry, taken aback by this sudden impulse, was left speechless.
"What?" Rika asked, tension seeping from her voice.
"I... uh... Rika, are you okay?" Henry asked, voice filled with concern.
"I'm fine. Why, do I look like I'm not okay?"
"Well... I saw you in English class earlier and well... you didn't look too well."
Rika sighed. "I'm fine, Henry. Really."
"You sure?"
Rika, yet again, made another sigh. "Yes. I'm sure. And just to top it off, I don't need you or anyone watching me every second of my life, I know how to take care of myself."
"Rika, I was only..."
"Yeah, well... you needn't have been."
Just then, the principal announced over the speaker that classes would be starting in five minutes and that remaining students had best get a move on.
"I've got to get to class," Rika stated, then took off rather hastily.
It could have been that she just didn't want to be late for class, but
something in the back of his head told Henry that there was more to this
than meets the eye... Henry was worried about that girl.
To be continued...
Author's Note: So... how was that for starters? I haven't written anything in a LONG time, so I hope that was alright. Let me know what you think.